Topic: It's all in the accent.....or is it?

QUOTE:

Of course, coming from Sussex, I don't have a discernible accent!

When travelling in the USA I am very often accused of being Australian.

'owyergoinmate?' :D

QUOTE:

Hi Lizzie, I know what you mean. My OH was born and raised in Kingston Surrey, which is a London suburb. We were probably born about 20 miles apart as I was born in Lambeth (S.E.London). Our new found forum friends thought that he sounded posher than me (true) and that I was his ' bit of rough' as we call it (definitely not true).

Jill:D:D

I was born in Erith (South east London, though it was Kent then....).
When I was 10 we moved to Raynes Park (next stop after Wimbledon and 3 before Kingston - they were Surrey then, now South West London).
I couldn't understand the natives- they were SO plummy!

A couple of years ago I went to a 'do' where the Woolwich ferry came up in converation. the chap I was talking to (born in Dartford) commented that I must have been locally bred cos I pronounce Woolwich with an 'idge'

I was packed off to elocution classes, so now I can do every accent from plum to Woolwich market...


My mum was a Scot and despaired of our accents so she sent the next brother up from me to spend the summer hols with an aunt and uncle in Kilsyth ( outside Glasgow) in hopes that he'd come back with a scottish accent.
when she went to collect him 6 weeks later he was still talking Woolwich market... and so was every child he'd played with

Hi Jill. I have quite a strong Cornish Accent as you know, and am quite often asked if I am American, as Peter did the other night when I said his name,however travel across to the north side of Cornwall and their accent is harsher , in only only a matter of a few miles.
Devon, next door has a longer drawl and and instead of saying she's or he's going to town, they often say hers or hims going to town,Somerset has a very attractive burr.but it is a guessing game when trying to guess a West country accent.Marie

Hi Jill,..nice topic..I was raised in a mining village in Yorkshire,and we could discern whether someone came from the neighbouring village or was more local,a distance of only 2 miles,although to be fair,it was nearer to Barnsley,where they speak like they're from another planet!!Smooth talking Stan ;)

QUOTE:

Of course, coming from Sussex, I don't have a discernible accent!

When travelling in the USA I am very often accused of being Australian.

When we were in Florida we were aske dif we were Canadian We're from Bolton originally!

Judith

QUOTE:

Of course, coming from Sussex, I don't have a discernible accent!

When travelling in the USA I am very often accused of being Australian.

Interestingly, one of our number on Eclipse said that he didn't have an accent and is from Lancashire (mind you, he'd had a few bevvies).
Also, when my daughter was at uni with people from all over the U.K. people thought that she was from Australia. I guess that examples like these is what I find so interesting.
Jill

And how different are we on the phone?
The first time I phoned home, my mum picked up the phone and I thought I'd dialled wrong number cos I didn't recognise her - her scottish accent was more pronounced on the phone - she'd all but lost it in normal speech.

QUOTE:

I was born in Erith (South east London, though it was Kent then....).
When I was 10 we moved to Raynes Park (next stop after Wimbledon and 3 before Kingston - they were Surrey then, now South West London).
I couldn't understand the natives- they were SO plummy!

A couple of years ago I went to a 'do' where the Woolwich ferry came up in converation. the chap I was talking to (born in Dartford) commented that I must have been locally bred cos I pronounce Woolwich with an 'idge'

Hi Meg. Well there you go then. Erith is down the road from us, as I'm sure you know. I pronouce Woolwich (idge) and OH from plummy Kingston says Woolwich with an itch.

Jill

and do you throw things at the radio etc when they talk about Gren-itch instead on Grin-idge?


Greenwich to the uninitiated....